


Countdown

by GalacticallyNonbinary



Category: Sanders Sides, Thomas Sanders
Genre: Gen, I tried to make it have an inspirational message though!!, If you get existential crisises a lot you might not want to read this, It's pretty morbid, Talking about death and life being short and stuff, im pretty sure I failed tho......., so pls read at your own discretion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-14
Updated: 2017-08-14
Packaged: 2018-12-15 07:45:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11801586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalacticallyNonbinary/pseuds/GalacticallyNonbinary
Summary: "How long do I have until I die?"Virgil doesn't even know how death works for traits, but he does know that Thomas' death will probably be his own as well. So, how long does he really have?Questioning the finite nature of mortality, what impacts humans can have on the world, and also cheese puns.





	Countdown

**Author's Note:**

> Oh gosh I'm still not sure if I should post this but seriously, if you don't want to think about death and mortality and have an existential crisis you probably shouldn't read this?? (Or maybe you should, I tried to make it inspirational...idk just...good luck I guess)

Why had he done it?

Morbid curiosity, that was the obvious answer.

"How long do I have until I die?" That was his question. And when one has a question, one normally asks a friend. But when one is terrified of asking their question, one turns to the Internet.

The first result was a test. Virgil didn't even know how death worked for him, but he put in the corresponding information for Thomas.

Age.

Height.

Weight.

Eating habits.

Until finally, a result loaded.

It gave him a set number of days, hours, minutes, and seconds. It gave him the date of Thomas' calculated death. He hadn't really thought about how it would affect him, but as Virgil read and re-read the numbers, he sunk to the ground.

The seconds were ticking down. And so were the minutes. Even the hours waned as he stared at his computer from his spot on the floor.

That was all he had.

And he was wasting it.

Ruining for himself.

For the other sides.

For Thomas.

Patton walked in, holding a plate of warm cookies. Upon seeing Virgil, he quickly tossed them to the side, and knelt down next to the anxious boy, holding him, breathing with him, reassuring him. A little while later, Virgil was still unable to speak, but was breathing at a much more normal rate. Roman and Logan walked in, looking concerned.

"Patton! What's taking so-" Roman stopped when he saw Virgil on the floor. He dashed to the other side of the boy, wrapping a tight arm around him. "Patton, what happened?"

"I don't know, I just walked in and he was...on the ground...and I..."

"The computer." Logan interrupted, staring at the countdown on the screen. His face hardened, and began to mirror the hopelessness on Virgil's. His legs were unsteady, and he held onto the side of a table. Roman and Patton, growing even more concerned, followed Logan's gaze.

"Oh..." Roman realized, and quickly got up to steady Logan, who was growing paler with every passing second. The logical side began murmuring under his breath, so softly that the others didn't even realize he was speaking at first.

"Numbers...his entire...our entire existence...down to numbers...that's not even that many days...oh god...it's all just numbers...just statistics..." Roman held the shaking trait in his arms, looking desperately to Patton, who was still wrapped around Virgil's shoulders.

Virgil knew it was all his fault, if he hadn't been so damn curious then Logan wouldn't have seen the countdown and this all could've been avoided. Holding the breathless Logan in his arms, Roman sat next to Patton. Virgil felt Patton's chest vibrate as he spoke in low tones.

"Yes, maybe you're right. It's all it's all numbers. But in that number of days, Thomas can accomplish so many amazing things, especially if we help him!" Roman nodded, continuing Patton's train of thought as Logan and Virgil began to look up.

"We could worry and fret about the days ticking down, or we could go out there and try to make a difference in the world! The videos we make, they make people happy, and I think that's the most important thing." Logan began to speak, still breathing quickly.

"So...if we alter the world, even just the tiniest bit, it doesn't really matter what that number on the screen is..."

"...because our influence will last past that number," Virgil finished for him. Chuckling, he added, "God, that's so cheesy." Patton giggled, glad that both of the traits were beginning to calm down.

"So what? Sometimes a little cheesiness can be...gouda." Logan sighed, and tried to walk out of the room, but Roman held him tight, laughing along with Patton. "What's the matter Logan? Are you feeling a little blue? Like blue cheese!" Logan turned to give the excited trait a glare.

"I understood the joke, Patton."

"Patton, I think you're right, he does seem annoyed. We should try to make him feel a bit...cheddar."

"Roman! Not you too!" As Logan continued trying to squirm out of Roman's grasp, Virgil met his gaze, and, with the most serious expression he could muster, said,

"Logan, stop complaining. If you really want us to stop, we can leave you here. But are you sure that you want to be...provolone?" Patton broke out into an enormous smile and squeezed Virgil in a tight hug as Logan let out an exasperated groan.

They eventually did get around to eating those cookies Patton had made, and the cheese puns didn't stop for hours, much to Logan's dismay. As it got later into the night, Patton made sure that the others went back to their rooms and got into a comfortable sleep. He took one last look at the countdown before closing the window and turning off the computer.

It didn't matter what those numbers said. All he hoped was that he had made at least one person smile before the countdown reached zero. After all, isn't that all any of us can hope for?

 

**Author's Note:**

> Inspirational messages are hard you guys but basically, you've probably made at least one person smile. That woman you held the door open for? The little boy you smiled at? Whenever you pet an animal? They all are grateful for you, and so am I! (Why am I trying to make this inspirational? I need to just...stop)


End file.
